Schumacher moved, out of danger

Berlin

Michael Schumacher is "out of danger" and has been moved from intensive care to a rehabilitation ward in the Grenoble hospital where he is being treated for severe brain injuries, a magazine reported on Friday.

The German formula one motor racing driver, 45, has been in hospital since he struck his head on a rock in a skiing accident at the French resort of Meribel in late December.

Doctors placed him in a medically induced coma in early January to aid his recovery. Two months ago, his manager Sabine Kehm said Schumacher had shown "small, encouraging signs" as doctors attempted to bring him out of the coma and into a so-called "wake up" phase that precedes full consciousness.

On Friday, the German celebrity magazine Bunte reported Schumacher had been moved from the intensive-care unit to a rehabilitation ward. The magazine said the driver was "out of danger" but his chances of making a full recovery appeared to have diminished. It also said preparations for his transfer to a specialised rehabilitation clinic were under way.

Ms Kehm has made no comment.

There has been widespread speculation Schumacher is in a vegetative state, clinically awake but unable to move or speak.